Jessica Gomez has come a long way in the microchip industry. She is the founder and CEO of Rogue Valley Microdevices based in Medford, Oregon, the first woman-owned and first minority-owned business to receive Biden-Harris CHIPS Act funding. The foundry specializes in microelectromechanical systems\u2014or MEMS\u2014tiny, intelligent sensors critical to automotive, biomedical and industrial markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From its founding as a small startup in 2003, Rogue Valley navigated numerous challenges\u2014including surviving the 2008 financial crisis\u2014to emerge as a key player in the MEMS manufacturing space. With the CHIPS funding, Gomez plans to triple the company\u2019s manufacturing capability with a second fabrication facility in Florida, the only one of its kind in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an interview, Gomez shares the company\u2019s journey to success, provides insight into their site selection process and the power of culture as a driving force behind growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Founded in 2003, the first few years of our startup journey were incredibly difficult. We struggled through every challenge you can imagine\u2014both technical and financial. In fact, we didn\u2019t even have air conditioning in the fab for the first two years because we ran out of money before we could buy a chiller. Five years later, we managed to survive the 2008 recession and emerged stronger than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Facing that kind of adversity early on forced us to adopt a level of discipline and creativity that is now embedded in the company\u2019s DNA. Over the years, I\u2019ve had the privilege of growing Rogue Valley Microdevices from a small startup into a key player in the MEMS manufacturing space. We\u2019ve built our business by staying true to our values\u2014precision, flexibility and partnership\u2014and by investing in the kind of high-tech, high-mix fabrication capabilities our customers need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As demand for MEMS and sensors has accelerated, so has our growth. That\u2019s what led us to expand beyond Oregon. With support from the CHIPS and Science Act, we\u2019re building a 300 millimeter-capable MEMS foundry that will triple our manufacturing capacity and position us to become the first pure-play foundry in the U.S. to offer MEMS device manufacturing on 300mm wafers. \u00a0It\u2019s been an incredible journey\u2014and we\u2019re just getting started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we chose Palm Bay for our second facility, it wasn\u2019t just about location, it was about opportunity, community and growth. We made the decision for a number of reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Space Coast offers access to a strong talent pool, supported by nearby universities and technical institutions. For a high-tech MEMS manufacturing facility like ours, that pipeline is essential. We\u2019re already engaged with some academic and technological communities through various events, and we\u2019ve received a lot of support from the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Palm Bay is right in the heart of Florida\u2019s growing Space Coast tech hub. With its thriving ecosystem of aerospace, defense and semiconductor companies, it\u2019s a natural fit for innovation and collaboration. This location also provides us with a logistical advantage, making it easier and less expensive to support our East Coast and European-based customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve received strong support from the State of Florida and local leaders. The City of Palm Bay and groups like the Economic Development Commission of Florida\u2019s Space Coast really understand what it takes to support economic growth. Together with Florida\u2019s pro-manufacturing policies and economic development incentives, the area has created a truly welcoming environment for investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Florida’s Space Coast offers a high quality of life, which helps attract and retain employees\u2014an important consideration for long-term growth. In addition, I believe that supporting our team outside of work is just as important as what happens inside the fab. We have developed a robust community and employee development strategy that includes a plan for on-site childcare and after-school programs at our new facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Together, these factors made Palm Bay the clear choice for expanding our operations\u2014and for deepening our impact on U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Securing CHIPS and Science Act funding is a transformative milestone\u2014not just for Rogue Valley Microdevices, but for U.S. semiconductor manufacturing as a whole. This $6.7 million investment will directly support the construction of our new facility in Palm Bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This expansion will nearly triple our manufacturing capacity and create 75 high-tech jobs on Florida\u2019s Space Coast. It also enables us to offer wafer-level advanced packaging services and to scale production of the miniature, intelligent sensors that are critical to markets such as automotive, biomedical and industrial\u2014where supply chain resilience is absolutely essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The funding we secured through the CHIPS Act has catalyzed our strategic investment in additional capacity and capability, positioning us at the forefront of next-generation production and preparing us to scale alongside our customers and partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Supporting working families has always been important to me\u2014not just as a CEO, but as a parent.I was lucky enough to be able to bring my babies to work with me and have them nearby as I grew the business. When we started planning our new facility in Palm Bay, I knew I wanted it to reflect the kind of workplace culture that truly supports people, not just productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Offering onsite childcare is one way we can do that. It helps ease a major burden for parents and creates a more inclusive, supportive environment where talented individuals don\u2019t have to choose between their careers and their families. We\u2019re also looking at after-school programs to support school-age children, because we know flexibility doesn\u2019t stop at preschool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not just good for families\u2014it\u2019s good for business. When you create a place where people feel supported, they bring their best to the job every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Rogue Valley Microdevices was founded, it couldn\u2019t afford air conditioning. Now, with $6.7 million in CHIPS funding, CEO Gomez is tripling their manufacturing capacity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3053,"featured_media":374055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-374053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-manufacturing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n